WILLIAMSBURG — Gerard Connolly’s lifelong dreams are all about to come true in just one night.
The singer-composer, whose work is steeped in his Catholic faith, will get the chance of a lifetime when he presents the world premiere of “Revelation,” a concert featuring songs and poems he wrote based on Scripture passages, at the Opera House at the Emmaus Center in Williamsburg on Friday, Aug. 16 at 7 p.m.
Connolly, 66, a hospital administrator, is a parishioner of Our Lady of Grace Church in Howard Beach and has been writing and performing religious-themed songs for decades.
He performed at World Youth Day in Paris in 1997, and one of his songs, “The Unveiling,” was featured in the televised coverage of Pope Saint John Paul II’s funeral Mass in 2005.
But “Revelation” will mark a turning point for him.
“I feel like all of my life’s work has come together in this piece,” he explained. “It’s all there, everything I believe and everything that’s central to my life.”
“Revelation” is filled with songs depicting passages from the Bible. In a twist, Connolly presents the songs from the perspective of the subjects of Biblical passages so that they are seen as fully human.
Connolly said he put a great deal of thought into each section. The overture, for example, contains seven motifs “because God created the world in six days and on the seventh day, He rested.”
“Revelation” is a family affair for the Connollys. Gerard’s three daughters — Joanna Connolly Pepe and Shannon and Rachael Connolly — will perform in the show, along with other musicians.
At a rehearsal before the show, Pepe described it as a dream come true for the entire family.
“This show is really a lot of prayers answered because my whole family has desired for him and his music to be on a stage and performed,” said Pepe, who is the music director at Our Lady of Victory Church in Floral Park in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. “So this is really the culmination of everything that we have dreamed for my father for so long,”
Pepe said it’s fitting her father’s music is so centered around church teachings.
“What’s so beautiful about the Church is that it’s the original patron of the arts. It’s that first place that artists were allowed to seek fulfillment and a career and the ability to sustain themselves while producing their art,” she added.
Connolly, who grew up in Howard Beach, said he always attended Mass, but it wasn’t until he met his wife Joanne at a charismatic prayer meeting when he was 20 that he became more devoted to his Catholic faith.
“That’s when everything came together for me,” he recalled.
Steve Retas, who is producing “Revelation” and is related to Connolly through marriage, said he came aboard after hearing about Connolly’s ambitious plans for a show and immediately thought of the Emmaus Center. His company, Technical Arts Group, has produced concerts there before.
“It’s overwhelming to do something like this for someone who probably would have never gotten the opportunity to mount a show like this,” Retas said.
Connolly is hoping “Revelation” wasn’t just a one-night event. “I would really want to see it performed in churches and in schools,” he said.
Retas sees “Revelation” as an evangelization tool that can be used to bring people closer to the faith.
“With the world being kind of upside down,” he explained. “I think this would be a great thing for the community to try to evangelize a little bit and see if we can motivate people.”
Whether he’s mounting a big show like “Revelation” or performing in a church, Connolly has a specific goal regarding his music: “I want to convey the gospel through the arts. I want to convey it to people in a fresh way.”
For tickets to “Revelation,” visit: https://www.3leafproductions.com/revelation
